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Saturday, 28 February 2015

A quiet start to a Saturday morning, one aircraft continuing across the North Atlantic, and the other an arrival into Springbank from yesterday.

629 - DHC-6-300 C-GKVT Unity Group Ltd., Airdrie, AB

28-Feb-2015

Iqaluit, NU (CYFB/YFB) - Keflavik, Iceland (BIKF/KEF)

C-GKVT has departed Iqaluit this morning, bound for Iceland where it expected to land in Keflavik in just under 9 hours time. The aircraft is being flown by Planes & Parts Ltd./Worldwide Ferry.

824 - DHC-6-300 N46RF U.S. Department of Commerce, MacDill AFB, FL

27-Feb-2015

Regina, SK (CYQR/YQR) - Springbank, AB (CYBW/YBW)

N46RF arrived in Springbank late yesterday afternoon from Regina. Although I can't see a U.S. Government contract award for any maintenance work, I would presume it is there for attention by Rocky Mountain Aircraft. The aircraft was last there in Feb-2014.

Friday, 27 February 2015

C-FFNT arrived safely in the Maldives within the last several hours, to be handed over to Island Aviation Services. The next aircraft, MSN 629 C-GKVT is currently en route, and at the time of writing was in Iqaluit, NU.

Thursday, 26 February 2015

As the fifth Twin Otter for Island Aviation Services prepares to depart from Salalah, Oman to Male tomorrow, aircraft number six has now set out from Calgary. The aircraft is being flown by Planes & Parts Ltd./Worldwide Ferry.

In the photograph below you'll note the Canadian registration sticker has been applied for the delivery flight (vs the version appearing lower on the page as 8Q-IAE)

C-FFNT has, as expected continued on to Oman today and at the time of writing had touched down in Salalah within the last hour. Tomorrow's departure to Male marks the final sector, and the delivery of the fifth Twin Otter to Island Aviation Services.

N181CS continues to make its way towards North Carolina with today's departure from Jacksonville.

226 - DHC-6-200HG C-FFNT Gravitas Aviation Ltd., West Vancouver, BC

25-Feb-2015

Nis, Serbia (LYNI/INI) - Hurghada, Egypt (HEGN/HRG)

C-FFNT has, as expected continued on to Egypt today and at the time of writing is about due south of Cairo, bound for Hurghada. Tomorrow it is expected to depart to Oman, nearing the end of its delivery flight to Island Aviation Services in Male.

311 - DHC-6-300 C-FBBV Kenn Borek Air Ltd., Calgary, AB

25-Feb-2015

McAllen-Miller, TX (KMFE/MFE) - Cheyenne, WY (KCYS/CYS)

725 - DHC-6-300 C-GKBO Kenn Borek Air Ltd., Calgary, AB

25-Feb-2015

McAllen-Miller, TX (KMFE/MFE) - Cheyenne, WY (KCYS/CYS)

Another two Antarctica returnees head towards the Canada today as C-FBBV and C-GKBO depart McAllen ultimately bound for Calgary.

903 - DHC-6-400 N401JF NASS Holdings LLC, Titusville, FL

25-Feb-2015

Titusville, FL (KTIX/TIX) - Titusville, FL (KTIX/TIX)

With the arrival of MSN 913 into the NASS facility in Titusville a couple days ago, the previous aircraft is now preparing to be delivered to the United Arab Emirates. N401JF has today completed a local flight from Titusville.

The RWMI DHC-6-300HG™ STC increases the payload capabilities of the basic DHC-6-300
and, ultimately, DHC-6-400 Twin Otter Series aircraft from 12,500 lbs. (5670 Kg) to 14,000 lbs.
(6350 Kg). As a Standard Commuter Category STC, DHC-6-300 and DHC-6-400 operators will
be able to operate, in revenue service without special purpose restrictions. IKHANA’s RWMI
DHC-6-300RG™/-400RG™ STC is currently limited to special missions operations, constraining
operators who carry passengers for revenue service.

The FAA uses issue papers to provide a structured means for describing and tracking the
resolution of significant technical, regulatory, and administrative issues associated with a
project. In particular, the G-1 issue paper establishes and communicates a formal agreement for
the major issues, regulations, and special conditions that will apply between IKHANA, the FAA
and a foreign civil aviation authority.

IKHANA Aircraft Services, a DBA of IKHANA Group Inc., provides DESIGN - BUILD - FLY
solutions to the aerospace industry through integration of new technologies, aircraft
modifications, heavy maintenance, major repair, and critical parts manufacturing.
Headquartered at the French Valley Airport (F70) in Murrieta, California, IKHANA holds FAA,
EASA, Transport Canada, and Fiji repair station approvals, FAA Parts Manufacturer Approval
(PMA), and is a Viking Air Factory Endorsed Service Center. IKHANA has a proven reputation
for developing unique engineered solutions across a wide variety of aircraft platforms and
diverse customer base including extensive experience in the DHC-6 Twin Otter, King Air, and
Gulfstream airframes.

C-FFNT has completed today's flying, having landed safely in Nis, Serbia about an hour ago (at the time of writing). The aircraft is expected to continue on to Egypt tomorrow as it makes its way to the Maldives.

311 - DHC-6-300 C-FBBV Kenn Borek Air Ltd., Calgary, AB

24-Feb-2015

Liberia, Costa Rica (MRLB/LIR) - McAllen-Miller, TX (KMFE/MFE)

725 - DHC-6-300 C-GKBO Kenn Borek Air Ltd., Calgary, AB

24-Feb-2015

Liberia, Costa Rica (MRLB/LIR) - McAllen-Miller, TX (KMFE/MFE)

Another two Antarctica returnees head towards the U.S. today as C-FBBV and C-GKBO depart Costa Rica ultimately bound for Calgary.

Wipaire adds Twin Otter expertise in Florida

Wipaire has added Viking and de Havilland Twin Otter expertise with the hiring of Ted Delgado, who will be based at Wipaire’s Leesburg, Florida, service center.

“Ted brings a vast amount of Twin Otter experience to our Florida facility,” said Paul Wells, Vice President of Aircraft Services. “His skills and connections have been built nearly 30 years in the industry, with 20 years of Twin Otter-specific experience, and we look forward to having him at our Leesburg service center.”

Ted is a seasoned airframe and powerplant mechanic with nearly 30 years of aviation experience. His skills include maintenance management, government contracting, as well as hands-on maintenance. He has gained international regard for his work as a traveling contract mechanic, and also served as Director of Maintenance for Seaborne Airlines.

“I’ve been around the world several times now,” he said. “I’m looking forward to settling down and staying in one place, and this opportunity is just perfect for me.”

Ted will be attending Wipaire’s grand opening celebration at Leesburg on Feb 28. For more information on the event and to RSVP, go to Wipaire.com/Grand-Opening.

Monday, 23 February 2015

Walker Corp to Utilize Twin Otter Series 400 for Luxury Transport to Six Star Resort

Geelong, Victoria, Australia, February 24th, 2015: Viking Air Limited of Victoria, BC, Canada
and Walker Corporation of Sydney, Australia, have entered into an agreement for the purchase of
what will become the first Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft put into operation in Fiji.

The Viking Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft, scheduled for delivery in the second calendar quarter of
2015, will be utilized as a luxury transport for resort guests and will be configured with 19-passenger
interior, air conditioning, and amphibious floats for both runway and water-based operation.

Lang Walker, Executive Chairman of Walker Corporation, stated, “We are opening a luxury six star
resort later this year on Yaukuve Island in Fiji, and want guests to enjoy every aspect of their stay
from start to finish. Our amphibious float-equipped Series 400 Twin Otter will provide guests with
first class service, conveying them safely to and from the resort in comfort and in style.”

Walker continued, “We employed the services of Utility Air to help us select an aircraft with the
capability to meet all of our requirements. For us, the Viking Twin Otter Series 400 was the logical
choice due to its operating versatility, robust design, reliability and spacious interior – all qualities
perfectly suited for our luxury island resort.”

Utility Air’s managing director, Stephen Pembro, commented, “We are delighted to have sold our
first Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft so soon after being appointed the Viking sales representative for
Australasia, and have immensely enjoyed our dealings thus far with Walker Corporation. The
support provided by the Viking Team during negotiations was excellent, and we rank this deal as
being one of the most pleasant and satisfying we have ever achieved.”

About Utility Air:
Operating from corporate headquarters in Sydney, Australia, Utility Air provides unparalleled turnkey
aviation solutions throughout the Pacific region, including aircraft brokerage, sales, and
acquisitions for both new and pre-owned aircraft. Specializing in utility work-horse aircraft, Utility
Air is the exclusive distributor for the Viking Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft in the South Pacific.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 23rd, 2015: Viking Air Limited of Victoria, British
Columbia, has now officially handed over the final Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft on order for
Global Aerospace Logistics (GAL), of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, completing the multi aircraft
purchase contract.

The final aircraft will join the eight Viking Twin Otter Series 400 already delivered to GAL since
2013, being utilized by the UAE Government under a multi-year service contract. The specially
equipped Series 400 Twin Otters are configured with paratroop provisions and intermediate
flotation gear (“IFG”) to enable the Government’s operations on the loose sand in the Arabian
Gulf region. Global Aerospace Logistics (GAL) is an original launch customer for the Series 400
Twin Otter, having placed their initial aircraft order in 2009.

Abdulla Marassas, Aviation Program Manager for GAL, commented, “We are very happy with the
Viking Series 400 Twin Otter, as evidenced by our fleet of nine aircraft. The Series 400’s
performance is beyond our expectation, and perfectly serves the purpose for the design and
function intended.”

He added, “Working with Viking has been a satisfying experience, dealing with knowledgeable
people who have made the purchase and delivery process easy, and we’re already looking
forward to expanding our relationship with future projects.”

About Global Aerospace Logistics:
Global Aerospace Logistics, LLC is a limited liability company registered by the Abu Dhabi
Chamber of Commerce and Industry and based in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab
Emirates. GAL is a leading provider of government and defense aerospace services
encompassing aviation maintenance, component repair and overhaul, aviation logistics,
maintenance repair facility, aircraft sales, tactical pilot training, and defense aviation consulting
and project management.

As noted in TwinOtterSpotter first on 20-Feb-2015 and on subsequent days, the final delivery refers to MSN 913, which departed Victoria on 20-Feb, and arrived in Titusville on 22-Feb. The aircraft are transferred to Global Aerospace Logistics prior to the final stage of modifications in the U.S. and take up interim U.S. marks before being ferried to the United Arab Emirates.

Sunday, 22 February 2015

With thanks to Carlos Aleman in San Juan, a nice shot of C-GOKB taken there a couple of days ago. As of yesterday, the aircraft remains in Puerto Rico.

Interestingly, the aircraft was fully repainted after arriving back from Turkey, and now features this blue/yellow and white scheme - coincidentally the same three colours as San Juan based Seaborne Airlines. Seaborne currently lease two float DHC-6-300's from Kenn Borek, but have just sent the last of their land-based DHC-6-300's back to the U.S. mainland.

Friday, 20 February 2015

Viking Air Limited of Victoria, British Columbia, has
added Utility Air of Sydney, Australia to the expanding network of sales representatives for the Viking
Twin Otter Series 400, covering the Australasia region including Australia, New Zealand, Papua New
Guinea, and surrounding islands.

Under the direction of Stephen Pembro, founder and Managing Director, Utility Air has become
renowned for offering rugged utility aircraft that have become essential to service the large expanses
and remote locations prevalent across the Pacific Region. Focusing a fine-tuned core competency
towards this unique market segment, Utility Air is ideally suited to represent the Viking Twin Otter Series
400 as the epitome of versatile work-horse aircraft available for operation throughout the South Pacific.

“I am proud that Utility Air has been chosen by Viking to distribute the Twin Otter Series 400 in the Pacific,
and intend to work tirelessly to deliver results to the broad target market in the region,” said Stephen
Pembro, Managing Director of Utility Air. He added, “The Twin Otter is an iconic aircraft that has served
this territory well in its pervious iterations, and with the state-of-the-art flight deck and factory options
available in the new Viking Series 400, the Twin Otter will continue to be a logical choice for many
applications in the region.”

About Utility Air:
Operating from corporate headquarters in Sydney, Australia, Utility Air provides unparalleled turn-key
aviation solutions throughout the Pacific region, including aircraft brokerage, sales, and acquisitions for
both new and pre-owned aircraft. Specializing in utility work-horse aircraft, Utility Air is the exclusive
distributor for the Viking Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft in the South Pacific.

C-FAFI has departed Victoria, bound for Great Falls and Rapid City. A photograph of the aircraft can be seen in the blog entry for 17-Feb-2015 after installation of flotation gear. It is expected to be bound for the North American Surveillance Systems facility in Titusville, FL for final work prior to delivery to the United Arab Emirates,

N169TH, which has been parked at South Lewis County Airport in Toledo, WA for quite some time is once again being advertised for sale. It is available on wheels for $765,000US or on Wipline 13000 amphibious floats for $975,000US.

Two of the Rampart Aviation Twin Otters continue to make their way back towards the U.S. today, with N181CS departing Port of Spain, Trinidad and N162DE departing Wick, Scotland. The former had left the U.S. last month, while the latter has been gone since Jun-2014.

C-FFNT has departed Calgary today on delivery to Island Aviation Services in Male. Upon arrival it will become their 5th Twin Otter. The ferry flight is being undertaken by Calgary's Planes & Parts/World Wide Ferry.

The picture below shows C-FFNT earlier today before taxiing out for departure to the Maldives. In the background is MSN 792 C-GKKN, which arrived in Calgary from Malaysia on 02-Jan-2015.

The third Seaborne aircraft destined for CAAMS LLC in North Carolina departed San Juan this morning, and has arrived in Providenciales. It is scheduled to continue on to Nassau and Fort Lauderdale. MSN 620 N888PV and MSN 524 N251SA were delivered in Jan-2015 - N888PV has been placed with an Indonesian operator, while N251SA and N288SA remain available for lease.

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

Viking Air Limited of Victoria, British Columbia, has
signed Veling Tayara based in Dubai, UAE, as the regional sales representative for the Viking Twin Otter
Series 400 in the Middle East and Turkey.

Veling Tayara was selected to represent the Series 400 Twin Otter in Middle East & Turkey due to their
widespread regional experience and leadership strength, personified by board members Nirvan
Veerasamy, and Uday Nayak, and Colin Steven, Managing Director. This core leadership team
comprises extensive senior sales and marketing management experience, in-depth local knowledge,
and prominent connections in both the business and aviation sectors of the region.

“Veling Tayara represents the top tier service that prospective customers of the Viking Twin Otter Series
400 can expect,” stated Peter Walker, Viking’s Regional Sales Director for Africa, Middle East and Asia
Pacific. “We’re looking forward to working with Colin Steven and his team to introduce the Series 400
Twin Otter’s unique capabilities to the staunch business aviation hub in the Middle East.”

About Veling Tayara:
Founded by Colin Steven, Managing Director, Veling Tayara began as an aircraft leasing company
providing financing alternatives for high net worth clients in the business aviation sector throughout the
Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Based in Dubai, Veling Tayara forms part of Mauritius-based airline
leasing firm Veling, whose clients include Emirates and Sri Lankan Airlines.

A nice shot of MSN 913 from Tim Martin yesterday, displaying a change to flotation gear (compared to our previous shot from Dec-2014 seen in the lower photo). The aircraft is ultimately destined for the United Arab Emirates.

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